This invention relates to an improved method and device for applying pesticides to repel insects and the like that prey on plants.
In the growing of plants, such as young citrus trees, insulating the relatively tender trunk of the young tree against cold is practiced in many regions of the world to prevent loss of the fruiting wood by freezing. The insulation may take the form of earth piled up around the tree trunk, or glass wool or polyurethane batts wrapped around the tree trunk. Preferably, the insulation comprises a semi-rigid insulator as described in my prior applications cross-referenced above that automatically adjusts with tree growth and which is provided with cavities housing pouches of solution. These solutions release energy and thus keep the trunk above the temperature at which it would suffer damage under conditions of severe cold.
When installing these various cold protection devices, it is common practice to apply pesticides to protect the covered surface of the tree from attack by insects and even to repel rodents which burrow under soil banks when that type of protection is used. It is also common practice to apply a fungicide at this time in an effort to ward off fungus infection and particularly phytophthora parasitica which destroys the bark and, when it has circled the trunk, kills the tree. In practice, these pesticides have limited effectiveness because they are quickly disseminated by rain or irrigation water, or they decompose by hydrolysis or other means and become ineffective, or they may be lost by evaporation. This is a major disadvantage to the grower who must go to the expense of applying pesticides quite frequently to gain even partial protection from damage or disease.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and device for the application of pesticides to repel insects and the like and to protect plants from attack by pests.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved means of applying pesticides so that the pesticides have a relatively long period of effectiveness.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved means of applying pesticides with just one application.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a means of applying pesticides in combination with means for insulating a plant.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the undergoing specification and claims.